• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.148-154
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• 2011

This study was conducted to control the seed borne pathogens (Alternaria spp.) of carrot and to examine the seed germination rate by using 13 environment friendly agricultural materials instead of conventional chemicals for organic cultivation. The growth inhibiting effects on pathogens showed the different responses according to each agricultural material and effective 7 materials against seed borne pathogens were selected. Among 7 materials, the carrot seeds sterilized with plant extracts, Tanger Stop and Land Saver were not germinated at all. The germination rate of seeds sterilized with other materials showed the similar levels with reference chemical (Benlate-T) and non-treated seeds. Infection rates of seeds sterilized with seaweed extract, Bellopper for controlling A. radicina and plant extract, Ssial-100 for A. dauci were similar or low infection rate compared with reference chemical. The germination rate and root length of seeds sterilized with Bellopper and Ssial-100 was similar or superior to those of chemical sterilized seeds. The optimal condition seemed to be a little bit different depending on the concentration of materials. As a result, the sterilization of carrot seeds by using the environment friendly materials could be effectively utilized as a technology to inhibit the infection of seed-borne pathogens.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.69-78
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• 2013

This study was carried out to evaluate nitrogen availability of applied fertilizer and to investigate yield and growth of Korean kimchi cabbage as affected by amount of fertilizer and soil fertility in organic farming applied various fertilizers in rainshelter. The head weight of Korean kimchi cabbage cultured in infertile soil (sand loam) with no amendments was very low. and that in fertile soil (clay loam) was higher than in infertile soil (sand loam). The head weight of Korean kimchi cabbage as affected by amount of fertilizer was more variable in infertile soil (sand loam) than in fertile soil (clay loam). Nitrogen availability of applied fertilizer by Korean kimchi cabbage was lower in fertile soil (clay loam) than in infertile soil (sand loam) and the lower that was, the more fertilizer applied. By application of poultry manure compost 20Mg ha-1 and natural mineral materials such as guano, phosphate rock, and potassium magnesium rock equal to amount of fertilizer recommended in conventional farming, the yield of Korean kimchi cabbage in infertile soil (sand loam) with 1% organic matter came up to 90% of the yield in fertile soil (clay loam) with 6% organic matter. Therefore natural mineral materials such as guano for N source, phosphate rock for P source, and potassium magnesium rock for K source may be able to use as environmental-friendly fertilizers in organic Korean kimchi cabbage production in highland.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2015.08a
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• pp.65-65
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• 2015

In this talk, I will introduce two topics. The first topic is the polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs) using graphene oxide quantum dots as emissive center. More specifically, the energy transfer mechanism as well as the origin of white electroluminescence in the PLED were investigated. The second topic is the facile synthesis of eco-friendly III-V colloidal quantum dots and their application to light emitting diodes. Polymer (organic) light emitting diodes (PLEDs) using quantum dots (QDs) as emissive materials have received much attention as promising components for next-generation displays. Despite their outstanding properties, toxic and hazardous nature of QDs is a serious impediment to their use in future eco-friendly opto-electronic device applications. Owing to the desires to develop new types of nanomaterial without health and environmental effects but with strong opto-electrical properties similar to QDs, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have attracted great interest as promising luminophores. However, the origin of electroluminescence (EL) from GQDs incorporated PLEDs is unclear. Herein, we synthesized graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) using a modified hydrothermal deoxidization method and characterized the PLED performance using GOQDs blended poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK) as emissive layer. Simple device structure was used to reveal the origin of EL by excluding the contribution of and contamination from other layers. The energy transfer and interaction between the PVK host and GOQDs guest were investigated using steady-state PL, time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Experiments revealed that white EL emission from the PLED originated from the hybridized GOQD-PVK complex emission with the contributions from the individual GOQDs and PVK emissions. (Sci Rep., 5, 11032, 2015). New III-V colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) were synthesized using the hot-injection method and the QD-light emitting diodes (QLEDs) using these CQDs as emissive layer were demonstrated for the first time. The band gaps of the III-V CQDs were varied by varying the metal fraction and by particle size control. The X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) results show that the crystal states of the III-V CQDs consist of multi-phase states; multi-peak photoluminescence (PL) resulted from these multi-phase states. Inverted structured QLED shows green EL emission and a maximum luminance of ~45 cd/m2. This result shows that III-V CQDs can be a good substitute for conventional cadmium-containing CQDs in various opto-electronic applications, e.g., eco-friendly displays. (Un-published results).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.138-143
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Azadirachta Indica extract(AIE) and Sophorae radix extract(SRE) are widely used as environment-friendly organic materials of plant origin in South Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, the in vitro micronucleus(vitMN) tests of two samples of AIE and SRE were conducted to evaluate their genotoxicity using the Chinese hamster lung(CHL) cell. This study was composed of two parts; cytochalasin B(cyto B) test and non-cyto B test. Mitomycin C and colchicine were used as positive controls. As a result, the incidence of micronucleus(MN) in all AIE and SRE treated groups increased in dose-dependent manner, but were less than 2.2% in 1,000 binucleated cells. In addition, there were no significant increases of MN incidence in all AIE and SRE treated groups, compared with the negative control group. CONCLUSION: Therefore, we suggest that AIE samples and SRE samples used in this study may have no genotoxicity in the in vitro micronucleus test using the CHL cells. In our previous study, we reported that AIE and SRE did not cause genotoxicity in Ames test. According to the genotoxicity battery system, we concluded that AIE and SRE used in this study have no genotoxic effects to humans.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at investigating the effects of sulfur-containing compounds widely used as environment-friendly organic fungicides against ginseng anthracnose, and determining the appropriate application concentration for lowering chemical injury to ginseng leaves. Ginseng anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is a destructive disease that significantly reduces the yield of ginseng. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ginseng anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is a destructive disease that significantly reduces the yield of ginseng. In a 2-year-old ginseng grown in a pot, treatment with loess-sulfur complex containing 0.06% sulfur and fermented loess-sulfur complex containing 0.13% sulfur did not show any chemical injuries. In order to measure the therapeutic effectiveness, various sulfur-containing compounds were applied to the plants after they were infected with ginseng anthracnose. Treatment with lime sulfur complex (400 dilution) showed the highest ginseng anthracnose control value, followed by fermented loess-sulfur complex (20 dilution), fermented loess-sulfur complex (40 dilution), and loess-sulfur complex (400 dilution) treatments. These compounds were applied before the outbreak of anthracnose disease in order to measure the preventive effectiveness, and in this case, treatment with fermented loess-sulfur complex (40 dilution) showed the highest control value and it was comparable to the value of the pesticide treatment used as the control in this experiment. CONCLUSION: Fermented loess-sulfur complex could be recommended as an environment-friendly organic material to control the occurrence of ginseng anthracnose.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.279-282
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• 2011

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC); an alternate energy source harvester has gained some attractive features such as high-energy conversion efficiency low production cost. Dye-sensitizer is a basic component of DSSC, which affecting the performance of the energy conversion efficiency. Current research has been focusing on development of high efficiency, metal-free dye-sensitizers, which would be more environmental friendly. We had successfully explored synthetic route to 6,6'-(1,2,5-oxadiazole-3,4-diyl)dipyridine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (3A) which has been used as organic sensitizer. Investigation of light conversion efficiency (${\eta}$) of the compound uses standard measurement condition (one sun simulated irradiation, AM 1.5, 100 mW/$cm^2$) showed that it could reach 1.00% ($J_{SC}=2.63\;mAcm^{-2}$, $V_{OC}$=0.64 V and FF=0.59). Under the same conditions, the ruthenium complex (N719) gave the conversion efficiency as high as 4.02%($J_{SC}=10.50\;mAcm^{-2}$, $V_{OC}$=0.67V and FF=0.57).

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2014

Among pre-harvest environmental factors, increasing attention has been paid to the effects of chemical and microbiological factors on fresh produce. The occurrence and prevalence of these factors have been usually studied with regard to the final products at the post-harvesting stage and/or when they are sold in the market. However, the origin and routes of transmission of both factors remain to be clarified. In the present study, we examined the contamination levels of food-borne pathogens and chemical factors such as pesticide residues and heavy metals in 83 and 43 samples, respectively, including various soil, water, and fertilizer samples, as well as post-harvested and processed samples. Among the organic farming samples, only one pesticide, dimethomorph, was detected in the soil sample, however no pesticides were observed from any other samples in organic farming system. Thus, it was thought that might be contaminated from conventional farm land in the vicinity. Whereas many pesticide residues were detected in conventional farming systems such as soil, fertilizer, water, and fresh produce as expected. Furthermore, heavy metals detected from all tested samples did not shown contamination levels higher than the standard limit. We comparatively assessed the levels of contamination by food-borne pathogens on the samples from organic and conventional farming systems, and found aerobic bacteria at approximately 7 log CFU/g, with no significant differences observed between the two systems. Coliforms were present at lower levels than aerobic bacteria. No human pathogens were present among the coliforms detected, indicating that these bacteria are saprophytes without the ability to cause food-borne illnesses. In contrast, among the high-risk food-borne pathogens, only sporadic cells of Bacillus cereus were found on samples of organic farming system. These data extend previous findings that the most prevalent food-borne pathogen is B. cereus and demonstrate that it spreads to whole living plants via soil.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.655-668
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• 2012

Foliar diseases are major constraints to profitable organic tomato production. Especially, powdery mildew, leaf mold and gray mold of tomato occur severely on organic cultured tomatoes in Korea. This study was conducted to develop organic tomato cultivation technology using environmental-friendly disease control methods (resistance cultivar planting, air circulation fan installation, oil-egg yolk mixtures, and microbial agents). When tomatoes were cultivated in plastic film house installed with air circulation fan, daily range of temperature was decreased by $2{\sim}7^{\circ}C$, average relative humidity was decreased by 1~5% compared to those in plastic house without air circulation fan. Consequently, incidence of tomato leaf mold and tomato gray mold was reduced by 55.0% and 24.4%, respectively. Control effect of microbial agents and oil-egg yolk mixtures against major tomato diseases was examined in plastic house. As a result, the control value of microbial agents against tomato gray mold and tomato leaf mold showed at the range of 49.0~55.9 %(gray mold) and 39.2~58.2%(leaf mold), respectively. The control value of oilegg yolk mixtures against tomato powdery mildew showed 97.6%. Fifteen tomato cultivars were evaluated for disease resistance against leaf mold and powdery mildew in organically cultivated tomato field. Among 15 tomato cultivars, seven cultivars including 'Super-top' were found to be high resistant to tomato leaf mold. Also 'Powerking', one of fifteen tomato cultivars, showed to be high resistant to tomato powdery mildew.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.408-417
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• 2023

This study aimed to investigate the effects of an aquaponics system utilizing catfish recirculating water on the growth and water quality in lettuce and chicory cultivation. After 60 d of catfish cultivation in the BFT-AP, the survival rate was 96.0% and average weight gain was 178.5 g. The WGR grew by 241.4% and the SGR was 3.0%. A comparison between lettuce and chicory cultivation using BFT-AP and hydroponics revealed significant increases in shoot height, leaf count per week, and biomass of the cultivated lettuce and chicory. The SPAD values also increased significantly by 15.4-43.3%. Water quality analysis of the BFT-AP systems and crop cultivation beds showed significant differences, except for K and Na. The average NO₃^- concentration in the sediment pond was significantly higher at 45.3±1.0. Comparison of water temperature, pH, EC, DO, and ORP in the BFT-AP system and crop cultivation beds revealed similar monthly water temperatures from July to September. The pH in the catfish culture pond was 0.3-1.2 lower than that in the crop cultivation beds, and the EC was approximately 0.01- 0.03 dS/m lower in the catfish culture pond than the crop cultivation beds. The monthly average ORP in the catfish culture bed steadily increased to 479.9 mV in October. Bacillus velezensis (AFB2-2) and Chlorella fusca (CF) were applied to the biological activation bed; the population density of CF showed a continuous increase, whereas that of AFB2-2 decreased after 15 d and gradually increased thereafter. Thus, the application of the recirculating aquaponics cultivation technology with catfish (BFT) enhances catfish cultivation and promotes the growth of lettuce and chicory. Therefore, it is considered suitable for the environment-friendly cultivation of lettuce and chicory.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 2015

This paper describes vegetation based soil-media hydroseeding measures that have been previously applied as slope revegetation methods show problems such as insufficient binding force, drying, and insufficient organic matter. In particular, in the case of slope faces in regions where scattering is severe, a vicious circle exists in which remarkably low vegetation cover rates and increases in withering rates over time lead to further decreases in vegetation cover rates, which lead to further increases in erosion and scattering. Therefore, in the present study, environment friendly soil stabilizers were applied for resistance against erosion or scattering and engineering evaluations such as long-term immersion tests and flow resistance tests were conducted to determine appropriate mixing ratios. According to the results of long-term immersion tests utilizing environment friendly soil stabilizers and existing greening soil based materials, 100% collapse occurred at 30 hours and 40 days in the case of soil stabilizer mixing ratios of 0% and 2%, respectively. While the original form of the samples remained intact until the experiment was completed in the case of mixing ratios exceeding 4% indicating that 2% or higher soil stabilizer mixing ratios could affect the maintenance of forms even under extreme conditions. In addition, artificial rainfall tests were conducted on 40, 45, and 55 degree slope faces to evaluate the structural stability of vegetation based materials. Flow resistance tests were conducted on soil stabilizer mixing ratios of 0, 4, 8% to evaluate erosion resistance capability. Based on the results of the tests, environment friendly soil stabilizers applied for prevention of scattering or resistance against erosion by rainwater are considered to provide large effects to reduce losses and loss rates showed a tendency of decreasing rapidly when soil stabilizers were mixed.